Maria Stridh poster abstract

DOES CANNABINOID EXPOSURE SENSITIZE THE BRAIN TO AMPHETAMINE EFFECTS?

Maria Stridh1, Siobhan Kühne2, Yasmin L Hurd1, Johan Franck2.

Karolinska Institute, Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, 1Psychiatry Section, 2Clinical Alcohol and Drug Research, Stockholm, Sweden

Cannabis use may enhance the vulnerability to the addictive effects of other drugs such as amphetamine and is therefore hypothesized as a “gateway-drug”.
We studied whether pretreatment with the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 alters the response to amphetamine in terms of DA levels in the nucleus accumbens as well as stereotypy and locomotor behaviors. Adolescent rats were treated with WIN 55,212-2 (1.25 mg/kg) once a day for five days. Following a seven-day drug-free period, an injection of amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg) or WIN 55,212-2 (1.25 mg/kg) was given. DA levels were analyzed using in vivo microdialysis. Stereotyped behavior, monitored as number of head-bobbings, were counted manually and locomotor behavior was measured in an activity chamber. Amphetamine caused a marked increase of DA and reduction of DOPAC and HVA levels, with no difference between WIN 55,212-2 pretreated and controls. Stereotyped behavior tended to be higher in animals pretreated with WIN 55,212-2, while locomotor activity tended to be lower in a dose-dependent matter. Overall, pretreatment with the cannabinoid agonist do not affect DA response but causes subtle behavioral alterations in response to amphetamine.

View poster